The Shadow
RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jason Miyares today issued a consumer alert informing Virginians that they may be eligible to receive payments from a $700 million settlement with Google secured by Virginia in December 2023.
In this settlement, consumers who made purchases on the Google Play Store between August 2016 and September 2023 and were harmed by Google’s anticompetitive conduct may receive payments. Google has also agreed to change its practices to stop the conduct that harmed consumers and app developers.
“There is a fine line between free market capitalism and crony corporatism. Big Tech giants, like Google, wield an enormous amount of power and influence over our lives and must be held to the highest standard. I’m proud of my office’s stellar Consumer Protection team for their years of work to secure this settlement and encourage Virginia consumers who may be eligible for compensation to follow these instructions,” said Attorney General Jason Miyares.
On December 2, 2025, affected consumers began receiving notices about the settlement funds’ distribution process. Most will not need to take any further action to receive payment. The settlement fund will make the majority of payments automatically, and no claim form is necessary in most cases.
If the court grants final approval at the hearing scheduled for April 30, 2026, consumers will receive an email from PayPal or a text from Venmo notifying them of their incoming payment. The notice will be sent to the email address or mobile numbers associated with their Google Play account. If that email address or phone number matches an existing PayPal or Venmo account, the payment will be deposited directly into that account. If it does not, consumers may create a new account or direct the payment to another PayPal or Venmo account.
There will be a supplemental claims process after the automatic payments process is complete for consumers who either:
- Do not have an existing PayPal or Venmo account and do not want to sign up for PayPal or Venmo;
- No longer have access to the email address or mobile phone number associated with their Google Play account; or
- Were expecting to receive a payment but did not.
If consumers would like to be notified by email when the supplemental claims process starts, they may submit their name, email address, and mobile phone number on the settlement website. Note: the settlement website may not be accessible if you are connected to a Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Attorney General Miyares encourages all affected consumers to keep track of important upcoming dates in the settlement approval process:
- Consumers who do not want to receive payment from the settlement fund and want to bring their own case against Google must submit a request to be excluded online or in writing by February 19, 2026.
- Consumers who want to object to the settlement can file a written objection by February 19, 2026.
- The court will hold a hearing on April 30, 2026, to consider whether to approve the settlement.
